Brother Mark Adams and Blister!

Does Brother Mark look confused? Ha!

 Well, Pastor Mark Adams made it back again to teach and spend time with the pastors. This was Brother Mark's fourth time coming so most of the pastors were looking forward to listening and seeing him again. Brother Mark makes friends pretty easy for those that don't know him...and that might be an understatement. He brought along a friend with him this time to help Brandi out with preparing and cooking the food. Her name is Blister...Haha...Naomi but she quickly got the name Blister a few days into the week. She told Brandi a couple of times that she was going to get up to help with preparing breakfast...I had to wake her up when it was done to help serve. Ha! So Mark...being Mark...thought up the name Blister. And Brandi...being Brandi...asked, "Why Blister?" And Brother Mark explained that blisters usually pop up at the end of the job after the work is done...Lol! So we called her Blister the rest of the trip. Good stuff! 

We had 26 pastors during the seminar Making Disciples! Great group of guys and all ready and open to learn and receive from God's Spirit and Word. It was great to see them so interested and responding to the questions and even digging deeper to get more answers! This wasn't the first time that they were taught on making disciples and forming leaders. It's easy to see that they are understanding and even applying what they are learning. I have seen first hand where many of the  Biblical ideas and teachings are being put into practice in their churches and communities. There were several in the seminar who had never met Brother Mark before or had not received the training and teaching on Discipleship and Forming Leaders so they really had a lot of questions and comments. And one of the great things that we saw was many of the pastors present who had received the training and teachings were actually answering the questions and helping explain the material with us! Awesome! 

Brother Mark is definitely a people person so he fits right in with these guys. He's out there eating and sitting with them. I often wonder what it is they talk about or discuss because Mark doesn't speak Spanish! Haha! He actually would say a few things in Spanish but would always mix it up with his French from school. And the pastors would look at me like I could translate the French...nope. 

Blister!!

Blister was wonderful helping Brandi and Nancy in the kitchen or playing with the kids! The ladies were very happy to have the extra help and the kids loved playing with her. She also went on a hunting trip a couple of times at the youth service here in the city where we go to church and the Sunday morning service. I think she was able to get a few contacts and names...who knows?? I'm sure the folks don't really like that idea. And of course Mark and I were always available and ready to extend a helping hand and watch all the faces turn red and every one start walking away from embarrassment...always a pleasure. One of the guys thought she was Brother Mark's wife...I think it had something to do with the dress...haha! 

We went to a new church with a new pastor, Mecerdes, where Mark was able to preach to the congregation. Really good experience. It was in a very poverty stricken area, but the pastor and his family wanted to feed us. So we ate while they watched...very difficult but they expressed their deep love for God and for us and we couldn't say no. But we can always bless them later! The church folks were really precious and in love with God! The worship was wonderful! Despite the rain and the barn post style church being packed out, people were crowding in to hear and sitting in the rain to listen to God's Word...think about it! 

Playing a Game! Fun!

Well, we praise God for another seminar and more time together with the pastors and our friends from the States! What a blessing and privilege to work with and spend time with the pastors from the villages, and what an encouragement to have our friends from the States come and pour out their love and lives into the people here!! The Body of Christ is really an awesome and beautiful thing!! Glory to God! 

Destruction in the Villages!

Fearless Leader Special Ed!

Well...the general idea of a group coming to do a construction project is to make things better and improve things...I don't know if busting the community water pipeline two times or killing flowers and plants or putting holes in the tin roof is part of that idea?? What do you think? lol But let me tell you, we had a GREAT time! The neighbors were coming out to see what all the fun was! And yes! it did get finished and everything is fixed and growing again. Don't stop reading here though...it gets better.


Killen UMC youth group came down to build a kitchen and bathroom for the pastor at the church on the rock. And my parents came as well!! Yea! The group raised all the money to buy the construction material and came to sweat and help finish the construction. It was the first trip here for many of the youth and their first opportunity and privilege to work with me! Haha! They were confused and really didn't know what to think or how to act at first, but they left with new names and a great experience! They started from the ground up with the kitchen. They had to dig the holes for the posts...and the ground is rock...hence the church on the rock...now we can say that the pastor built his house on the rock! Then they had to figure out how to make the rafters for the tin roof to go on. After we got the roof on, it was time to pour the concrete floor. This is totally different from the process in the States! You start by making a pile of sand and gravel on the floor, then pour the cement on the top. Then you have to "flip" the pile a few times using your shovel to get it all good and mixed up. Then you make a volcano like hole and start filling it with water, trying to keep the water inside and not running out until it is soaks into the cement...Then you pull it away from the pile little by little by filling 5 gallon buckets with the cement and carry it to dumb it out where needed. Well...when you got a old Bones, Special Ed, and some momma's boys and a scary bottle throwing girl, that's not so easy! lol! I'm joking...they did awesome! Besides stepping on Mari's flowers and plants and killing others when the cement mix poured out and covered them...or besides throwing large rocks down the hill and hitting the community water pipeline and sending water spraying out...they did great! Haha It was super hot! And the work is super hard! And they worked the whole time...well except for Ben. He was more concerned with getting Nancy's number or taking breaks...ain't the same as farm life. Just kidding! Praise the Lord the kitchen was finished except the walls which were later finished by the pastor. And the bathroom is still being finished by the pastor as well. Before the kitchen, his wife was cooking under a piece of tarp out in the sun! Rain or heat, she cooked there all day long! And she also cooked lunch for us every single day we were up there!! And it was delicious! Some wonderful folks and I praise God for His provision and for the Killen group for coming and loving them and the Lord through their actions!

Go Mae Mae!!

What is Ben doing??

Pure Awesomeness!!

 Hannah had some interesting bug experiences worth mentioning...A grasshopper the length of a number 2 pencil was thrown into her hair and she LOST it! HAHA! I don't know why she lost it, but she almost took off the pastor's head with a gatorade bottle as she chunked it at Devin, the boy who threw it at her. After she stopped pulling her hair out and beating her head against the block wall, she stopped crying and could laugh about it by the end of the trip! HA! And she would see little granddaddy long leg spiders on the wall and dream they were godzilla and couldn't sleep at night! Bless her! She hung in there though and worked very hard. All she talked about was her bed, A/C and hot water! haha Good stuff! We also went to the Mayan ruins in Honduras and learned about the McIntyre Clan that ruled the place...the Poop Clan that was part of Ben's ancestors...and the Grissom clan from the Mayans in Mexico. The Aliens eventually killed most of them and they spread out and started other nations that we know today. Very educational!
The youth also went to the school in San Juan and played with the kids and taught them using the color coded soccer balls! Another great chance to share God's love and salvation to the kids and leave them the  soccer balls to play with! And they went to the hospital and prayed for the kids and gave out toys with Brandi. A mind changing experience! We really enjoyed hanging out with the youth and getting to know them. And we had an awesome time with my folks visiting the grand kids and wonderful amazing son! Praise the Lord for His love and blessings He poured out through this group! Good stuff!

Teaching the Teachers!

Well it's about time the teachers have to sit and listen and not talk and fill how it is to be a student again! Ha! I always thought...surely my teacher as forgotten how it was to be a teenager and how hard it is to sit still and listen for so long! Surely I ain't the only one who has thought that?? But the first week of July for three days, the teachers in the schools we visit to teach the Bible to the kids sat and were taught by some teachers from Alabama! But the teachers here loved it! They were so excited to get new ideas and learn new ways to teach the kids. And the teachers from Alabama did great! We went to four schools in three days! And at one of the schools there were teachers from three different schools...good stuff! They were able to encourage and help many teachers from different places in Chiquimula. They taught techniques on keeping the pace of the class moving forward and keeping the kids' mind firing the whole day. They taught on classroom organization and visual teaching aids in their rooms. They gave them ideas on games to play and provided some of the material to do the games. They spoke about the emotional and spiritual needs of the kids and how to understand that and help the kids. And the awesome thing about all this...going back and visiting the schools after the teachers left, I see the things they taught being put into practice by the teachers here in Chiquimula! And many of the teachers have talked to me about how they were encouraged and revived again with the new ideas and enthusiasm from the teachers that came.  I already have many schools asking when they can come back and teach again! The word is getting out! Praise the Lord that He sent teachers that are Christians and God-fearing men and women to influence the teachers here!
One of the teachers brought several soccer balls that have the same color coding that teaches the plan of salvation and the effect of God's love and Jesus' sacrifice in our lives. This is such an awesome idea because all the kids here want to do is play soccer! So now when they are playing and see the colors on the soccer ball, we pray that the Gospel message comes to the remembrance and they go and share it with others!
And one of the teachers was blessed with the gift to fancy up hair for the little girls. She did some fancy braids and put colored ribbons in the hair to look very pretty! She was very busy with the little girls who loved it!
So we give God the glory and honor and continue to pray for the schools and the kids!

Great Time with Morningstar Group

A group from Morningstar UMC came to serve with us for the first time the last week in June. We had a full week planned for the group and they showed up excited and ready to go! There was a little problem the day they arrived...there were protests blocking the roads to get to the capital. Praise the Lord we were able to communicate to them through facebook before they left the States that morning to warn them we would be late getting to the airport to pick them up...but we had no idea it was going to be about 6 hours late!! Bless their hearts...first time here and had to sit at the airport and wait for 6 hours not being able to communicate with us to know when or if we were going to get there. But they were troopers!! We got there and were greeted with smiles and excitement to see us, of course, and to be in Guatemala! Good stuff! But then on our way out of the capital, a very strong thunderstorm hit us as we were passing through the parts where there are mud slides! I don't know how well aware they were of the danger or that I was screaming like a girl on the inside several times b/c I was driving...another scary thing!...but God protected us and got us home safe and sound!

The next day we prepared for the week after letting them sleep a little b/c we didn't get home to midnight...but just a little! Ha! We bought all the food for the food baskets they were going to give out in the villages to the families that needed them and to also be able to invite them to know Jesus and the pastor at the local church. They also went to pray in the hospital two times while they were here. We visited three different places to hand out food and teach about the Love of Christ to the community with the pastors along side of us. They walked up and down many mountain sides to many different houses! Their church also raised money to build a few churches, so we were able to go visit one of these churches so they could pray for the community and the construction site and also pray with the pastor and the congregation! Very nice moment getting to know them and build relationships with them! The people in the church were so excited to get to know them and see the folks God was using to help build their church building.

In another village, the group was able to buy tin to put on the roof of a house for a family who was trying very hard to finish the roof before the rain ruined their mud walls. It was easy to see the damage already caused by the rain but praise God the tin was purchased and put on that same day! They were able to teach at the village school about Go's salvation plan, and the kids made the color bracelet that represented God's salvation and plan for our lives! Good stuff!We also walked this village to pray with the families and encountered a lady who had just had a miscarriage the day before and needed to get to the hospital. We were able to call the fire department to get the ambulance up there to take her to the hospital! She spent three days recovering in the hospital and a few more days with family, but she is doing very well now, praise the Lord! But that was a new experience for us all!

Another new experience...bless the group's heart!...the next day while visiting another village and praying and handing out food, Brandi calls me to tell me that she has been stung but a scorpion and is not feeling good. So we pray for her and try to finish quickly in the village to get back...but Brandi got worse fast so the fire department came and took her to the hospital to get an IV to counter act the venom and calm her down...while we are still an hour and a half away! So we get back...I go to the hospital to stay with Brandi while Nancy takes the others to the other hospital to pray and a few of the others stay with our kids to take care of them. Brandi was able to leave the hospital around 7 pm and was doing great, praise the Lord! A rough experience but turned out good to go.  

So the next day the group had the day to site see and rest after running around all week. That day went good as far as I can remember...haha. But we praise the Lord for what He did during this week! Many folks accepted Christ into the hearts, different families' living conditions were changed, and God's Word and Love was shouted and shared from the mountain tops to His people! Good stuff!! Thank you Lord!